Welcome to SwankiVY's poetry page. I'm not a great poet, but I love to write, and I've written a fair amount of poetry. You can just choose a poem from this table based on the title only, or if you want to know the subject matter or style first, scroll down below the table and read the descriptions.

In that list, the ones I like best are highlighted and recommended--start with these if you don't know what to read. Many were written years ago when I was in high school or college, so don't be expecting great art here. E-mail if you've got a comment; I don't take public comments on the poetry. And, though I doubt that anyone wants to steal my crappy verses, please do respect that every poem on this page is part of a collective registered copyright.

The table of poems:

Acorn Man Breaking Out of Structure Canopy Clockwork Daughter of the Wind Desktop Art
Denial Dying Light Free Forgiven Girl Glow
Graveyards Hidden Sights In the Way Keys to the Past Life in a Symphony Look Up
Lost Married to Death Memory Moonflower Name Nine
Ocean's Memory One Masterpiece One Side Only When It Rains Open Arms Rain
Rant for the Ranters Sharing with Innocence Star? Steps Stowaway On Planet Earth They Used to Be Here
Twins Ugliness Unwilling Baby Up All Night Wearing the Sky Winter Winds
Yarn Your Life Haiku Page

Click any poem's title to read it.

TITLESTYLEDESCRIPTION
Acorn ManRhyme: AAAA BBBBThis sing-song poem was written for a friend who was known as "Squirrel" at the time (hence the "acorn" reference). It sounds babyish, but is more serious than it looks.
Breaking Out of StructureRhyme: ABABCommentary on the constraints of the world--with a humorous ending regarding what I'm gonna do about it. Written in tenth grade.
CanopyFree verseDescription of an idyllic scene under the trees. Written when I was sixteen.
ClockworkFree Verse, QuatrainsA clock's gears are gummed up so it can't move past a certain point. Its whole world collapses.
Daughter of the WindFree VerseWhimsical fantasy poem about being the wind's daughter.
Desktop ArtRhyming, ABCBPoem about the writing on desks in school, written when I was seventeen.
DenialFree Verse (with repetition)About life's inexorable march forward.
Dying LightFree VersePoem about chasing a dying spirit.
FreeProse PoemA conversation with a homeless man. (Not autobiographical.)
ForgivenFree Verse (with repetition)Unconditional love in the face of an abusive relationship. (Not autobiographical.)
GirlFree VerseAbout the extent to which a woman's soul is female.
GlowFree VersePoem written for my friend Jim, about love, life, and creation. Written from the point of view of godlike beings.
GraveyardsFree VerseWhat's the secret in these places? What's really there?
Hidden SightsFree VerseAbout seeing things that most people think are not there--from the point of view of a Muse, sort of.
In the WayFree VerseThe frustration of being apart.
Keys to the PastRhyme: ABCBMaybe those two roads diverged in a yellow wood actually come back together someplace.
Life in a SymphonyFree VerseAbout how much a piece of music can say and mean.
Look UpFree VerseWhat a gigantic something we are all part of!
LostProse PoemLong convoluted story about disorientation. Autobiographical.
Married to DeathFree VerseA very different view on relationships with death.
MemoryFree VerseVery short poem equating memory to snow.
MoonflowerProse PoemA garden poem about mothers, the sun, the moon, and matters of taste.
NameProse PoemIt's very difficult to choose a name for a child.
NineFree Verse (with repetition)About magic and infinity, describing a magical ritual. Written when I was eighteen.
Ocean's MemoryFree VerseShort poem about the ocean's memory of me . . . or lack thereof.
One MasterpieceRhyme: ABCB, also with internal rhymeA poem with a strange rhyme scheme, about meaningful art and its definition.
One SideProse PoemThis is a poem in the voice of a fantastical, undefined being, and her story about love for a mortal child.
Only When It RainsFree VerseThe spirit of the rain comes again.
Open ArmsFree VerseArms always seem to open at my cue, but for all the wrong reasons.
RainProse PoemAutobiographical poem that makes no sense to most people; involves interaction with the inanimate and an awful lot of crying.
Rant For the RantersProse PoemI go off on the campus preachers from my college--one in particular who always drew a crowd and immediately answered any questions that came from females by claiming that the girl who spoke obviously didn't know her place--"the Bible says it is SHAMEFUL for a woman to contradict a man."
Sharing With InnocenceFree VerseDepicts a pleasant mother-to-son love. Written when I was fifteen.
Star?Free Verse, AllegoryAbout relationships, using planetary systems as an extended metaphor.
StepsFree VerseThe experience of being human when you feel like you're not.
Stowaway On Planet EarthRhyme: ABCBAfter feeling out of place on the planet, the speaker discusses wanting to leave Earth. Written when I was in ninth grade.
They Used to Be HereProse PoemPoem about haunting school memories, rendered and revealed by a speaker who is apparently acquiring them through psychometric experiences. Written in the summer before my junior year of high school.
TwinsFree VerseAnother fantasy poem about the magical half of me.
UglinessFree VerseAbout the truth of love no matter who it belongs to.
Unwilling BabyFree VerseThe world makes its impression on a helpless child.
Up All NightFree VerseA poem about why I don't stop for a minute.
Wearing the SkyFree VerseShort poem about dressing in clouds.
Winter WindsRhyme: ABCB (different last verse)About the weird cycle of the seasons.
YarnProse PoemWhen you untangle the knotted strings of your life, what do you find?
Your LifeFree VerseAbout listening to someone's song and feeling as though you've been transported into that person's life.
Haiku PageHaikuThis page just has all my collected haiku poetry.

Credits:

Divider lines found at freefever.com.
CSS/Table border fancy shmancy help from The HTML and CSS Table Border Style Wizard.
The image of the quill in my header graphic is from DailyClipArt.net.

BACKLINKS:
MAIN PAGE
WRITING PAGE